TWENTIETH WEEK.—TUESDAY. — Evening

O LORD God Almighty, the Author and Giver of every good and every perfect gift, we thank Thee for all the blessings of the past day. Thou hast supplied our wants by thy fatherly bounty and love. Thou hast restrained us by thy preventing grace, and we are now permitted to read thy holy Word, and to offer up our prayers to Thee for the forgiveness of all our sins.

We thank Thee that Thou art as willing to receive sinners now as Thou wast in the days of thy incarnation, when Thou didst bring salvation to the house of Zaccheus. Make us as anxious to see Thee, and as willing to receive Thee, as this penitent publican; and make us as willing to show the sincerity of our repentance by acts of benevolence and charity; and oh, let salvation come to this house. We rejoice to know that the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost. We are lost, by our wanderings, and unfaithfulness, and sin; do Thou save us. Give us faith in Jesus Christ, that we also may become sons of Abraham, who believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Thus let us have peace with Thee, and lie down upon our beds with consciences void of offence before God and man. Preserve us from all the evils and dangers of the night. Give thine angels charge concerning us, that they may watch around our beds, as they have been about our path. Keep our house from fire, and the attacks of wicked men. Keep our bodies from disease and death, and refresh and strengthen us by sleep for the performance of the duties of the coming day.

Have mercy on the houseless wanderer, the destitute, and poor. Give support and shelter to the distressed. Be very gracious to the sick, who are tossing to and fro upon beds of languishing; comfort and sustain them in their suffering and weakness. Prepare the dying for death; cheer them in this last stage of their earthly journey; in the eveningtide let it be light about them. Mercifully defend and guide all who are far away upon the sea, pursuing their course over the dark, and trackless, and perhaps stormy waters. Be Thou their light and their help, and bring them in safety to the desired haven. Bless the members of our families, thy whole Church, and the world at large. Oh, hasten the time when the clouds and darkness of the night of sin shall be chased away by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings; when the Day-dawn and Day-star from on high shall bring in the morning of a glorious day, and when all shall know Thee from the least unto the greatest. We humbly but confidently commit ourselves to thy care, and present ourselves and our prayers to Thee, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.